Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Journey
Review: This film is a testament to the power of books. It is not a filmed version of the stones of summer -- for those who are looking for a summary of the book. Rather, this is the story of how far books have the power to take us. Most movies ruin books -- this one celebrates them and reminds us that the "movie" in our own mind is just as powerful as the latest cgi special effects.
Rating: 
Summary: The Lone Ranger and Tonto
Review: This documentary is too long by half and a structural shambles, but the gay subtext is fascinating. The male director, an ostensibly married man who lives in a homiosocial world as virile as Robert Bly's, becomes enamored of a lost male novelist he has never met.
He searches obsessively for him, eventually finds him, and, in the closing frames, walks off with him into the sunset. The only woman allowed a speaking part is the director's yenta mother. The director's "wife" will only allow her feet to be shown.
One could debate the sexual orientation of the director, but not his obsessive devotion to the writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnng
Review: This movie is a very, very long three hours. I disliked it not in a scolding way but because it induced boredom to the level of panic, a desire to flee the theater.
Rating:
Summary: Stone Reader rocks!!!
Review: Wow, I love this film! Upon hearing about Stone Reader's big double win at Slamdance Film Festival, I made sure to catch it here in New York at the Tribeca Film Festival. I raved about it to a legion of friends that took my advice and caught its' theatrical gallop across the country. They loved it too. In the same way that seeing Rocky for the first time caused me to chug glasses of raw eggs (I was just a kid), Stone Reader put me on a reading binge that is still going strong today. This film single handedly re-awakened my atrophied appetite for literature and once again I am making time to read. The film is incredible for taking a potentially dry subject (literature/lost writers) and making it a suspenseful, dramatic, educational, cinematic journey along a fulfilling story arc. And who could ask for a better ending? I went back to see it in the theater two more times so that I could copy down all the book titles mentioned. I bought two of the special edition DVDs for Christmas presents and was impressed by the depth of material (two discs) and creative design. Thankfully the DVD contains the extensive list of book titles that I had to scrawl down in dark theaters. I submitted this review because I noticed a couple of cynics out there trying to drag this film down. When highly regarded professional film reviewers like Roger Ebert and Janet Maslin make a special effort to acknowledge an independent documentary film like Stone Reader, you can be sure that it is GREAT! Buy with confidence.
Rating:
Summary: It's not (just) about books...
Review: Stone Reader is a wonderful film for anyone who is interested in books, reading, writing, and the creative process in general. It 's also excellent movie-making, taking us on a search for a "lost" author, and meeting (along the way) many of the most interesting and colorful characters in the literary world.But what struck _me_ the most about the film was the insight it offered into the world of the creative mind...not only that of author Dow Mossman, but also of filmmaker Mark Moskowitz, who reveals his own passions with humor and honesty. So this film actually profiles two individuals, one an author, the other a filmaker, each of whom has given his heart and soul over to a creative endeavor. You'll want to watch this film more than once. You'll want to read "Stones of Summer" (in fact, you'll want to catch up on your reading in general). But most of all, I think, you'll want to _create_ something. -cb
Rating:
Summary: A Story Full of Love, Courage and Persistence
Review: When I learned the film was finally coming to Portland, Maine (things move a little more slowly up here!), I was eager to see it, and brought a friend. We both loved it. Loved it. I was struck by Dow Mossman's story, of course, but also by how courageous director Mark Moscowitz was in pursuing his passion, investing time, energy and resources with no clear outcome, right up to the moment when he called Dow on the phone for the first time. I so support that way of being. What is there to lose? And how much to gain! The story is a true love story in its own right -- so affirming at a time when the world is so crazy and volatile.
Rating:
Summary: Impossible to get past an ill-chosen gimmick
Review: I remember seeing Stone Reader last year in a theater and thinking it was more interesting in the talking-over afterward than in the seeing. My main problem with this documentary is the gimmicky approach to the emptiness of life without books, an approach that does not convey what books mean or what they're for. An hommage to literature and reading can't be paid through a trick shortcut to profundity (i.e. an unconvincing search) or a filmmaker's inarticulateness. The sad truth is that most books don't make people think, and print is as neutral as a TV screen. Books are not magical objects, but that's how this rhythmless movie treats them.
Rating: 
Summary: I got no sense of the book
Review: I saw this movie last year and was disappointed. I was left with no sense of the book Stones Of Summer or how it was written, etc. I left a posting on a movie website saying this and the next day got a meanspirited response from another viewer who amazingly turned out to be the director. I found this out by checking the poster's website profile. He wrote "Well, I saw it too. a few weeks ago, and it was clear from the outset to me that the movie wasn't about the book, but more about all/any books and we/audience feel about them. Only movie I've been to where audience spontaneously applauded at end. A great movie. Left me thinking about it for days. Empty? Hmmmm.....yes, if you expected a book report i suppose. thank god it wasn't."
Rating:
Summary: Must see documentary for book lovers.
Review: This documentary is a must see for anyone that considers themselves a bibliophile. I also think that all librarians would enjoy this documentary. The documentary not only exposes you to the book "Stones of Summer" but also brings up numerous other books that you will want to read after you see this film.
Rating:
Summary: A very satisfying film
Review: This unique documentary is especially effective. It is more than a search for a book author, it is a love story to reading and books. Lovers of literature should definitely see this film.
|
